The award supports a three-year program, "Innovating International Research, Teaching and Collaboration at Indiana University." The project's primary goal will be to support new directions in international and area studies that include collaborations locally among faculty in the humanities, social sciences and professional schools throughout the campus. It also will extend opportunities for faculty and students to engage in collaborations in international, area and global studies.

Building on the university's distinguished history of research around the world, schools and faculty are well-positioned to undertake this new initiative. IU Bloomington is among the top three universities in the U.S. in the number of its federally designated Title VI area studies centers.

"For decades, international engagement has been a vital part of the Indiana University mission, so it is extremely gratifying to have our commitment to creating globally fluent students recognized with this generous support from the Mellon Foundation," IU President Michael A. McRobbie said. "With nine Title VI centers that promote deep, and in some cases unmatched, understanding of foreign languages and cultures, IU is a leader in international studies, and this grant will help us further strengthen our expertise in these areas."

In each of the three project years, there will be four funding programs, all of which will be new initiatives at IU Bloomington. Faculty and students will be provided the opportunity to apply for funds that will support short-term faculty fellowships, graduate dissertation fellowships, curriculum development fellowships and innovative workshops.

Lauren Robel

According to the 2011 Open Doors Report by the Institute for International Education, IU Bloomington is ranked eighth among U.S. higher education institutions in the number of students studying abroad and 11th among U.S. institutions for enrolling international students. IU has partnerships with more than 200 universities in 48 countries involving university-sponsored faculty and student exchanges, collaborative research, curriculum development, library collections enhancement and institution building.

"IU Bloomington's international and area studies programs are exemplary and represent a long and rich tradition of international engagement," said Lauren Robel, IU Bloomington interim provost and executive vice president. She also serves as principal investigator on the Mellon project. "I am exceedingly appreciative to the Mellon Foundation for reaching out to us and demonstrating their support of this critical component for teaching and research at IU Bloomington and abroad."

For more than half a century, Title VI centers have been the intellectual hub of IU Bloomington's expansive efforts to understand, research and teach about the world. With the Title VI centers at the core, IU Bloomington has been actively recruiting outstanding international studies faculty and students; establishing language and area studies centers of excellence; building extensive international library, archival and museum collections; and negotiating overseas study opportunities and academic exchanges worldwide.

Because IU Bloomington is one of the largest recipients of Title VI support, it has also been one of the hardest hit universities by the recent and significant cuts to the Title VI program.

"The Title VI centers as well as the Center for International Business Education and Research and the Center for the Study of Global Change build upon the expertise at IU Bloomington, but combined they stimulate greater national and international engagement," said Sarita Soni, vice provost for research at IU Bloomington and co-principal investigator on the project. "IU is grateful to have been invited among a small number of universities to participate in this Mellon-funded initiative. This funding will help the campus define a sustainable path for future international and area studies programming."

Deadlines for the funding opportunities will occur each fall semester for the next three years.